Finn Vs. Phasma Fight Teased in Star Wars 8

After showcasing the studio’s animated slate yesterday, Disney brought out the big guns during the studio’s live action panel, which featured a new glimpse at the highly-anticipated Star Wars: The Last Jedi, where an interesting new detail was revealed. Director Rian Johnson brought cast members Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro out, before a new Last Jedi sizzle reel debuted. But there was an interesting tidbit revealed on the D23 stage as well, when John Boyega teased that his character Finn will square off against Gwendoline Christie’s character Captain Phasma, his old “boss” in the first order.

While no concrete details were given during this Disney panel, Boyega explained that, “Finn’s about to have a fight with a formidable opponent,” as the 5’9″ former stormtrooper glared up at the 6’3″ Gwendoline Christie. While he didn’t actually come out and say that these two were going to throw down, it seems likely this showdown will take place in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. While Gwendoline Christie didn’t comment on this impending battle, she did say that wearing the Captain Phasma costume is “empowering,” joking that it’s so warm in the costume that she keeps a “casserole cooking” inside the costume with her.

Before becoming a key figure in the Resistance, Finn, a.k.a. FN-2187, was a Stormtrooper, who was under Captain Phasma’s command. However, Finn had an awakening during the First Order’s raid on a Jakku village named Tuanul, refusing to fire on innocent villagers when ordered to do so by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). He eventually made his escape with Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, who gave him the name Finn, since he had never been issued a Christian name after being taken by the First Order when he was so young he couldn’t even remember who his family was, or what their name was. While it became clear that he did excel as a Stormrooper, before turning to join the Resistance, it will be interesting to see how this battle will play out.

It also remains to be seen where exactly this battle will happen, although it’s possible that it may take place on the casino planet known as Canto Bight. It has been revealed in the past that Finn and newcomer Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) will embark on a secret mission for the Resistance at Canto Bight, a casino planet that is filled with colorful characters. It’s possible that Phasma may have tracked Finn to this planet, where this supposed showdown could occur. That’s only speculation to this point, but it’s all we have to go on, until Disney and LucasFilm unveil more plot details.

There have also been long-held rumors that both Finn and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) will be captured by Kylo Ren, in an attempt to lure Rey (Daisy Ridley) out of hiding. If these rumors are true, his plan works, with Rey abandoning her Jedi training with Luke Skywalker on the hidden planet of Ahch-To, to save her friends. Still, with so little confirmed about the story, it remains to be seen which rumors turn out to be true, and which are false. Now that this sizzle reel has debuted at D23, hopefully Disney and LucasFilm will be focusing their efforts on dropping the second trailer very soon for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.